From the day the battle over abortion began, the pro-life movement has been saying that repeat abortions are a natural and logical progression of the abortion reality. Statistics published by even pro-abortion organizations like The Alan Guttmacher Institute, as well as the U.S. Government’s Centers for Disease Control, reveals that we have been right all along. The data shows that, (a) about 35% of all American women of child-bearing age will have had at least one abortion by age 45 (b) approximately half of all abortions are repeat abortions, (c) repeat abortions are on the rise, and (d) only a tiny fraction of abortions are done for the so-called “hard cases” such as rape, incest, life-of-the-mother, or fetal anomalies.
At a 1994 National Abortion Federation conference in Ohio, contraception expert Paula Hillard, a professor at the University of Cincinnati, cited a study showing that over one-fourth of women having abortions were on birth control pills. Abortionist Suzanne Poppema then stated, “…the overview that Paula did was fabulous… it’s the kind of information we need to show to people that women do not use abortion as a birth control method, because they’re all contracepting somehow before in the month that they got pregnant.”
Incredibly, Poppema is saying that because many women who have abortions were contracepting, that proves they are not using abortion as contraception. In fact, it proves just the opposite! Hillard’s figures clearly show that abortion is being routinely used as “back-up” birth control.
Another issue not to be overlooked is the fact that having abortion available when birth control fails does not protect women, but makes them easier to sexually exploit. This is evident when pro-life speakers visit schools to talk with teenagers about abortion. They inevitably find that it is the boys who most viciously defend abortion. Just like adult men, these guys have figured out that abortion is a sales tool to talk girls into having sex and a safety net to avoid responsibility if those girls end up pregnant. This may help explain why polls consistently find greater support for legal abortion from males than from females.
See the real face of the Bro-Choice movement at peopleofchoice.com
Legalized abortion, and easy availability of pills such as Plan B, has also made it easier for older men to sexually exploit underage girls. In America today, this is a problem of epidemic proportions and we now know that a major contributor to it is the fact that the abortion industry knowingly protects the men who prey on these girls. Learn more.
This epidemic is not just limited to the United States. In fact, the most obvious example of the problem of repeat abortions and its effects was the Soviet Union. In the early 1920s, the Soviet Union became the first country in the world to legalize abortion. Years later, several studies were conducted to determine how that decision was playing out.
One published study discovered that the average Soviet woman would have nine abortions during her child-bearing years. Other research documented that 90 percent of all first pregnancies in the Soviet Union and 60 percent of all subsequent pregnancies were legally aborted. It is also known that, of the remaining pregnancies, many of them ended in illegal or unreported abortions. The result was that, according to one American researcher, in some parts of the Soviet Union women underwent as many as 28 abortions.
As a result, the Russian government is saying that the health consequences of this have been “catastrophic” for that nation’s women. Additionally, economists are predicting that the demographic realities brought on by Russia’s shrinking population will soon cause an economic meltdown. In fact, some demographers are saying that this collapse has already begun.
Also, there has been research proving that many women in Cuba resort to abortion as though it were just another contraceptive method. According to the study, “Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy and Contraception: Two Methods of Fertility Control,” published with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), some women even prefer it to condoms, the pill or intrauterine devices (IUDs). Statements such as, “It’s a safe method,” “it’s not a big deal,” “it’s a quick fix,” were some of the responses by the 132 women who claim to prefer abortion to contraception. (Source: Report of Cuban women and Abortion attitudes via Inter Press Service, Health-Cuba: Abortions Falling Along With Birth Rate, 6-1-2006)
Abortion Patients and Clinic Workers Speak Out
In an effort to dodge any admission that this epidemic was inevitable, as well as appear reasonable to the average person, the abortion lobby’s damage control strategy is to give the illusion that even they don’t support women having multiple abortions. Below are quotes from clinic workers and even a few abortion patients who admit that repeat abortions are a common occurrence that they disapprove of. But don’t be deceived, those in the abortion industry who would condemn women for multiple abortions, would still provide another abortion to anyone who could pay for it.
“I had to work through my own issues with women who had multiple abortions. And I did become moralists and judgmental. My first cut off was two. It’s gone up to four. I am going to be honest and say that’s hard for me. I wish I could get past the four…if it was 14, I know I would have a very hard time sitting across from this woman and trying to be as pleasant as possible. I don’t think her problem is pregnancy or her problem is repeat abortions. But she has a problem. This is self-destructive behavior.” (Commenting on women who have repeat abortions)
–Abortion clinic employee
American Medical News, Abortion providers share inner conflicts, 7-12-1993
“Basically, abortion is a method of birth control. You know, it’s not the best method of birth control, but all it does is stop the birth of the baby that a woman doesn’t want at a time she doesn’t want it…I’ve had lots of patients who come in for second, third, fourth, fifth, even one who had nine abortions.”
–William Harrison
abortionist
William Harrison, Interview on Nightline :11-11-2006
“What makes me angry is people who aren’t being careful about birth control, who don’t make an effort to get a birth control system in place for themselves and have had several abortions. But it’s usually those people who also make me think, “Oh great! They’re not having a child” — even though I think it’s an awful way to do your birth control. I firmly believe that I cannot use my own value judgments in deciding when it’s right for a person to make this decision or not, however. Ultimately it really is the woman’s decision and she is the person who has to carry all the consequences.”
–Abortionist
Salon magazine, An intimate conversation with a woman on the front lines of America’s most emotionally charged debate: June 1997
“A lot of people think that you’re mainly helping middle-class girls who’ve gotten in trouble,” he said. “We see them, and quite a few, but percentage wise, not that many. Unfortunately, you see a lot of people here who use abortion as birth control.”
–Anonymous Doctor at abortion clinic
Daily Kent Stater, Cleveland doctor deals with controversy on a daily basis: 4/23/2007
“If we lived in a culture where women understood how to meet our own erotic needs without sacrificing our bodies, and where men and women practiced cooperative birth control, abortion would be a moot issue. However, abortion as a means of birth control will be necessary in this country for a while to come, though I look forward to a time when it is not.”
–Christiane Northrup
medical doctor
Empowering Women’s Wisdom, by Christiane Northrup, MD
“Family Planning can and will see patients for a second abortion. Your situation is not uncommon and we see many women who face similar situations.”
–Family Planning Associates of Maine
abortion clinic
Family Planning Associates of Maine-website
A news reporter went inside an abortion clinic and interviewed abortion patients. They reported that – Kori, 26, who was having her third abortion, asked to watch the procedure on the ultrasound monitor. ”I wanted to see what it was like,” she said. ”It was O.K. to watch. Once you had your mind made up to do it, you just suck it up and go with it.”
–Kori
abortion patient
NY Times, Under Din of Abortion Debate, An Experience Shared Quietly: 9-18-2005
“In the pre-operation room of the clinic, I met a woman who already had 5 children and she was going in to have her 4th or 5th abortion. When my mouth dropped open, she asked me what was wrong. I told her she was an embarrassment to women all together. Making a bad choice & trying to correct it is one thing, but using abortion as your birth control method is a complete different story!”
-Krystal
pro-choice
FeministWomen’sHealthCenter.org, Krystal’s Story
“…when she came in today for her fifth abortion, a number of staff members were visibly and audibly agitated. They clearly were upset that all of the previous discussions about birth control seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.”
–Lou
abortion clinic employee
Abortion clinic days blog: Cultural Differences, Tuesday, May 03, 2005
‘I think we need to get you on some kind of effective birth control, ” Bours stated after he had performed the third abortion on a patient.
–Peter Bours
abortionist
The New York Times, The abortion conflict; what it does to one doctor, By Dudley Clendinen; Dudley Clendinen is a New York Times correspondent based in Atlanta :8-11-1985
“I basically used abortion as a form of birth control. I just kept getting pregnant because I thought I wanted it. But then I would decide that I would rather get an abortion.” Flores told reporters she couldn’t recall how many abortions she’s had.
–Theresa Flores
abortion patient
U.S. News & World Report, Who gets abortions and why: 1-19-1998
“One of the most difficult (patients) for staff members of an abortion facility is the patient who returns several times for repeat abortions… As coping behavior, repeat abortion leaves much to be desired, but is it worse than becoming an unwilling parent of neglected and disturbed children?”
–Warren Hern
abortionist
Abortion Practice, by Warren Hern (Chapter 3 PG. 88)